American Mah-Jongg FAQs

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Most questions that I get about American mah-jongg are rules questions. It's strongly recommended that every table have a rulebook handy, to deal with those odd situations that sometimes arise. Below, after each answer given, I offer references for further clarification if needed.

RDWW = my book, The Red Dragon & The West Wind. Click the underlined link to learn more about the book.

NMJL = National Mah Jongg League. Where I refer to a page number, that's a page number in the official NMJL rulebook, Mah Jongg Made Easy. Where I refer to a year, that's a yearly bulletin. Each January, the NMJL sends a bulletin to the members whose addresses are on record with the League (which is why I always recommend you buy your card directly from the League). And some rules are stated on the "back of the card" - you do have the latest NMJL card, don't you? Click the underlined NMJL link to buy the rulebook or the card directly from the League.

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Q: When is a tile down?
A: A discarded tile is "down" when it touches the table OR is completely named, whichever occurs first. If you pick a tile from the wall, then touch it to the tabletop, it's "down." You must say its name and take your hand off it. Likewise, if you say the name of the tile in full, it's "down." You must put it down and take your hand off it.

Q: Can I change my mind after my discard is down?
A: No. When a tile is "down," it is too late for the discarder to take it back. If you've said its name, you must put it on the tabletop and take your hand off it.
Q: Darn! I shouldn't have thrown it away! Well, can I call it back and make a meld or win with it?
A: No. "Down is dead." Well... The tile is dead to you, anyway - as long as it's not a joker, any other player except its discarder can call it. Nobody can ever take back a tile she just discarded, in any way, shape, or form. You can't make up rules to undo a blunder you've made.

See FAQ 19AM for more "change of heart" rules, and see FAQ 9 for the Tom Sloper philosophy of how errors should be handled.

Q: When is it too late to claim a discard?
A: The "window of opportunity" (during which a player may claim a discard) opens when a tile is "down," and closes when next player either racks, discards, declares mah-jongg, or exchanges a joker.
If you pick a tile from the wall and are just looking at it and thinking about it, or reaching with it anywhere, another player can still call the live discard, and you have to put your picked tile back on the wall. Read also answer #AT. If you need an even more detailed discussion on the very important "window of opportunity" rule, scroll down to the bottom of the page; also read column #458.

Q: Can I claim any discard?
A: Only the most recently thrown discard is available for play (and only while the window of opportunity is open) - all previous discards are "covered" (dead) when a new one goes down.

A1: A discard may only be taken to make a PUNG, KONG, QUINT, or SEXTET - or, of course, to make mah-jongg. A discard may not be taken to expose a pair, or a grouping consisting of singles and/or pairs, before the hand is complete in every other way.

A2: As it says on the back of the NMJL card, the only groupings in which jokers may be used are: PUNGS, KONGS, QUINTS, and SEXTETS. Let's define those terms just to make sure this point is perfectly clear:

A pung is "three identical tiles."

A kong is "four identical tiles."

A quint is "five identical tiles."

A sextet is "six identical tiles."

A "NEWS" is, therefore, not a kong (it's four singles). And a "201x" is likewise not a kong (it's not four identical tiles).
As it says on the back of the NMJL card, jokers can never (you know what "never" means) be used in a pair or to fill in for a single tile in a hand that uses singles.
You may never use a joker in a "NEWS" or a "201x." You may not claim any discarded tile to expose a "NEWS" or a "201x," prior to declaring mah-jongg (see answer E3, below).

Can I say mah-jongg on a discard if I'm waiting for a single or to complete a pair?
A: Yes. If you are waiting for mah-jongg (you just need one tile), then - no matter how the tile is used in the hand (for a single, a pair, to complete a NEWS or a 201x, NO MATTER WHAT - as long as it is not a joker), you can say "mah-jongg" if anybody discards it.

Q: Can I use a joker in an S&P hand?
A: There are NO exposable groupings in the Singles & Pairs section of the card, and since, as it says on the back of the NMJL card, jokers cannot be used in a pair or to represent a single, it's impossible to use jokers in the hands in this section of the card. Any groupings you see on the card that are made of non-identical tiles are only grouped closely together because space is limited on the card.

When a joker or a redeemable tile has been discarded, the usual response is to tear out your hair and scream to the heavens, "Oh! I wanted that!" Because the players who've witnessed someone discarding a joker (or a redeemable tile) have zero other options. Zilch. Zip. Nada.

A3: When discarding a joker, many people say "same." Some say "joker", and some say the name of the previously discarded tile. All three are legal practices. It's encouraged to say "same" because the practice encourages other players to keep their eyes open, not only their ears. You can even just say the name of the previous tile (you don't even have to say "same"). And there is a strategic reason for not just saying "joker" when discarding a joker. An opponent who is foolishly only listening, and not looking, will probably miss the fact that you have discarded a joker, and won't even know it until she happens to see it on the discard floor later. Or when she hears you say "same," she might think you had discarded a joker, and will scan the table looking for it, then might even ask what just happened. Either way, by saying "same," you have taken advantage of some players' bad habits.
It used to be permitted to claim the "same" (the named tile, not the joker itself), but that rule was abolished long ago. NOW, when somebody discards a joker and says "same," there is NO claimable discard - ALL the discards on the table are dead: the joker itself, and the previous ("same") tile included.

Q1: Who gets a discard if two want it for the same thing? ("Conflicting claim")

A1: When two players claim a discard for exposure, the player whose turn would be next in order of play (counterclockwise from discarder) gets the tile. Likewise when two players claim a discard for mah-jongg.

Q2: What if the two calls aren't simultaneous - that one player verbalizes her claim after another player has already spoken for it, and neither one has exposed any tiles yet?
A2: It's not a race. The player next in turn gets the tile. But don't stop reading now!

NMJL rulebook - p. 19. Quote:
(c) When two players want the same tile for Mah Jongg, the player nearest in turn to the discarder gets the preference.

2007 NMJL newsletter:
Q. I called Mah Jongg on a discarded tile. Just a few seconds later, the player next in turn to discarder also called Mah Jongg on that same discarded tile. Who is entitled to the Mah Jongg?
A. Just as long as you have not exposed your hand...player next in turn would have priority.

Q: It's not a race, you say? So you're saying I can take my time?
A: No. There is such a thing as "too late." If a player has claimed the discard and exposed, it's too late for another player to speak her own claim for the tile. Actions speak louder than words. Keep reading...

2007 NMJL newsletter:
Q. I called Mah Jongg on a discarded tile. Just a few seconds later, the player next in turn to discarder also called Mah Jongg on that same discarded tile. Who is entitled to the Mah Jongg?
A. Just as long as you have not exposed your hand...player next in turn would have priority.

2013 NMJL newsletter:
Q. Two players called for the same tile for an exposure. The second player who called started to make her exposure but next in turn announced that she wanted that tile also. Who is entitled to the tile?
A. Just as long as the other player started to make her exposure, next in turn was TOO LATE.

Q: What if the player who took the tile for mah-jongg turns out to have been in error, and now she's dead? Does the other claimant get to take the tile now?
A: It depends. If both players wanted the tile for mah-jongg, then yes. The second claimant takes the tile to win. But if the second claimant wanted the tile for exposure, no. She may not have it; it stays in the dead hand.

Q: What if the player who took the tile for mah-jongg turns out to have been in error, and now she's dead? Does the other claimant get to take the tile now?
A: It depends. If both players wanted the tile for mah-jongg, then yes. The second claimant takes the tile to win. But if the second claimant wanted the tile for exposure, no. She may not have it; it stays in the dead hand.

Q: What does "any suit" mean when there are two colors? When there are three colors?
A: Here is the Tom Sloper philosophy of how to interpret the card:

Normally, if a hand is shown in two colors, the hand must be made in two suits (any two suits). When it's shown in three colors (excepting flowers or winds*), then the hand must be made in three suits, in any combination (see 19.BY).
All groups of one color must be the same suit (any same suit).
*Note that flowers and winds are always shown in blue - if the card was printed in four ink colors, they would be black, but three colors cost less to print.

The color-coding on the card cannot say it all in every case. So when the color-coding isn't sufficient to explain the requirements of a particular hand, the card designer writes a parenthetical to give more information. Sometimes some folks might think that there is a conflict between the parenthetical and the color-coding (that the color-coding conflicts with what it says in the parentheses). In such cases, you have to consider the parenthetical as being the final word.

A typical example is when a quint hand is shown with a quint of a numbered suit tile, and a quint or kong of dragons in a different color - and the parenthetical says "any tile of any suit, plus any dragon."*

"Any suit" means just that: "ANY SUIT." When you see this wording using three "anys" and you also see two different colors, your two tile groupings could be of the same suit.

There are only two possible ways to look at it, when the color-coding and the parenthetical don't match: either the English language is trumped (thrown out the window) by the color-coding, or the word "any" means just that: "any." Isn't it more logical to assume that the English language is not invalidated by color-coding?

The word "any" is clear. You KNOW what the word "any" means. Do not let the color-coding on the card "color" your thinking! For more on how to read the card, see answer AJ and answer AK. If you'd like to refresh your memory as to the meaning of the word "any," you can use any dictionary.

Q: Am I dead if I put the discard in my hand when declaring a win? I was playing in a tournament and they told me I was dead!
A: Tournament rules are stricter than home rules. Every tournament establishes their own rules. Always make yourself aware of the rules before the tournament starts! When claiming a discarded tile, many tournament organizers say that you must not put the taken discard into your hand - you must put it atop your rack. It may be that they think it's possible to cheat if you put a taken tile into the hand. (Note: Not all tournament organizers (or players) impose a death penalty for this.)
New rule, 2013: The NMJL issued a rule in the January 2013 bulletin stating that it is permitted to put the taken discard into the hand just prior to exposing the hand for a win. Important to keep in mind: tournament organizers might (or might not) keep a rule against this, for their own purposes. Tournament rules are stricter than home rules. Oh, right: I said that already.

Q: 1. Do I have to have a natural* tile to expose? 2. Can I have a set that's all jokers?
*(A "natural" tile is a non-joker tile.)

A: 1. No, you don't have to have a natural concealed within your hand prior to claiming a discarded natural for exposure.

When claiming a discarded tile to make an exposure, the exposure can contain any number of jokers. For example, if you have three jokers and someone discards a tile, you may claim it and expose a kong with the discard and your three jokers.

A: 2. Yes, you can have a concealed set in your hand that is all jokers.
So when you go maj, it is perfectly OK to have a pung, kong, quint, or sextet that is nothing but jokers (containing no natural tiles at all).

Of course, you can't make an exposure comprised of nothing but jokers, because you can only claim a non-joker for exposure. See FAQ G1. Someone has to discard a natural (a non-joker; not a joker) in order for you to be able to claim it. The rest of your tiles for that subsequent exposed set can be all jokers, as stated above.

Q: 1. When can I redeem a joker? 2. Can I redeem a joker before I take a discard? Can I redeem a joker after I take a discard for exposure? 3. Can I redeem a joker atop my own rack?
A: 1, 2. You can redeem a joker only when it is your turn. When it is your turn, you must first bring a 14th tile into the hand [NMJL, 2009], before you can redeem a joker. There are two ways to bring a 14th tile into the hand - by picking from the wall OR by taking a discard for exposure. THEN, after picking (or after taking and exposing a COMPLETE* exposure), you may redeem jokers from atop anyone's rack (including your own). Then you may discard or declare mah-jongg (either of which ends your turn).

*To clarify the phrase "complete exposure": If you want to call for exposure, and then (on the same turn) redeem a joker, and then use that newly acquired joker to completely fill the exposure you just made in that same turn, NO. You are out of luck.
- FIRST you have to make the exposure (put up the complete set).
- THEN (and ONLY then) can you redeem jokers.
Parallel example: You can't go to the store and say "I'll buy this with the $13.45 in my purse, then I'll go to the bank and come back right away and pay you the remaining $27.89." You have to have ALL the cash on hand when you buy something. Same thing with making an exposure. You have to have the necessary other tiles to complete the exposure, BEFORE you may claim a discard to make the exposure.
There's no such thing as a "future joker."
So: Since you cannot take the discard, you can do the next best thing - you can sigh or moan or kvetch or shoot daggers with your eyes at the person who discarded that tile you badly desire but cannot have. That's pretty much all you're able to do at that point. But hey, kvetching is part of the fun of mah-jongg, right? (^_^)

3. Can I redeem a joker atop my own rack?
A. Yes, I just said you may redeem jokers from atop your own rack. It also says that on the back of the NMJL card.

Q: Can I redeem more than one joker in a turn?
A: Yes. You are permitted to redeem multiple jokers (from multiple racks) during your turn (after taking a 14th tile into the hand, either by picking or calling - and before discarding). You can redeem as many as 8 jokers (since there are no more than 8 jokers in the mah-jongg set) in one turn! It's legal! Unlikely, perhaps, but permissible.

Q: Do I have to expose when I redeem a joker? If I'm playing a hand that must be concealed, am I prohibited from redeeming a joker?
A: No. Redeeming a joker is not the same as claiming a discard - you are not required to make an exposure when redeeming a joker. So of course you can redeem a joker if your hand is marked "C" (concealed) on the card. (By the way, have you also read answer AR below?)

Q: Can I redeem a joker from a dead player's rack?
A: When a dead player has jokers exposed on her rack, some of her jokers might be redeemable, and some might not, depending on whether the joker was exposed properly or not.

The General Rule on Joker Validity

Jokers which were exposed properly are valid for redemption. If you make a kong, nobody has enough information about which hand you're making, so you can't be declared dead on the basis of that exposure alone. Any jokers in that kong are live, and stay alive even if you are declared dead later.

Jokers which were exposed improperly are not available for redemption. Let's say that your first exposure was a kong of fours (with a joker) and your second exposure was a kong of dragons (with a joker). Let's say that the card does not have a hand that allows kongs of fours and dragons (let's imagine that the hand is clearly not anywhere on the card). Anybody could now declare you dead, based on your improper second exposure. Any jokers that had been exposed PRIOR to the blunder (the jokers in the first exposure) are still valid for redemption, but any jokers exposed in the course of making the blunder (the jokers in the second exposure) are dead. All portions of the hand exposed erroneously are to be returned to the sloping front of the rack, including and especially the now-dead jokers.

It sometimes occurs that an error (for instance, too many or too few tiles in the hand) is not discovered until some time later (so that the exact timing of the error and any joker exposures is not known or cannot be determined). When this happens, jokers exposed prior to the discovery/announcement of the error remain alive for redemption purposes, and jokers exposed concurrent with the announcement of a problem are dead and should be returned to the rack.

The Specifics, In Case the General Rule Isn't Clear Enough

In addition to proper/improper exposure, joker validity can also depend on the player's cause of death. (Causes for death are detailed in AA, below.)

No Such Hand - It usually takes multiple exposures before players can discern that the player is playing an erroneous hand. After making a first exposure, the hand's rescue is still within the realm of possibility. In such cases, any jokers exposed prior to the discovery of the error are alive for redemption. When subsequent exposures reveal that the hand is not valid, any jokers in those subsequent exposures are dead - and those subsequent exposures should be returned to the rack.

Occasionally a hand's non-validity can be determined upon the first exposure. For instance, if the player's first exposure is a quint of dragons and if the current card does not have any hand with a dragon quint. In such an instance, all the exposed tiles are returned to the rack (including jokers).

Exposed Concealed Hand - Upon death declaration due to exposing a hand that was supposed to be concealed, all tiles (including jokers) are returned to the rack. See rule 3(b), page 16, of the official rulebook.

Unwinnable - Jokers exposed prior to the death declaration remain alive for redemption. If jokers are exposed concurrently with the discovery of the hand's unwinnability, those jokers are dead and should be returned to the rack (together with other tiles which were in the act of being exposed at that time).

Too Many/Few Tiles - Jokers exposed prior to the discovery and announcement of the error remain alive for redemption, if it cannot be determined when the error occurred. Jokers exposed concurrently with the discovery and announcement of the error are not redeemable, and should be returned to the rack (together with other tiles which were in the act of being exposed at that time).

Rule Violation - Jokers exposed prior to the death challenge for a rule violation remain alive for redemption.

Q: Counterclockwise, clockwise? I'm so confused!
A: Beginners are often confused by the sequence of picking tiles from the wall, and also selecting tiles in turn. Players take turns in a counterclockwise manner (to the right), but tiles come off the wall in a clockwise manner (to the left).

Here's another way of looking at it: those two directions in one illustration:

There are two directions happening simultaneously - counterclockwise (the players taking tiles in turn) and clockwise (the tiles disappearing from the wall). During the course of play, players always take turns counterclockwise (even during the deal) - and tiles are always removed clockwise from the wall (even during the deal). And in American mah-jongg, players serve the wall diagonally into the center of the table as the wall is used up.

Q: My group plays with the fourteenth tile, and a question came up...
A: I cannot answer any questions that arise from the use of illegal rules like "picking ahead" or "playing with a future." You are using an unofficial table rule, and you have to figure out the answers to questions arising from your table rule. Read FAQ 14. I have only seen two rulings from the League about this style of play: (1) rule #1 on the back of the NMJL card says, in all caps, "NO PICKING OR LOOKING AHEAD." That rule has been on the back of the card for decades! (2) In the January 2014 bulletin, the League said, "NO... The fourteenth tile does NOT belong to the Player picking ahead...it only becomes their tile when it is their turn."

For further reading:RDWW - p. 121
NMJL - back of card, and the 2014 bulletin, page 5.

Q: I played long ago. We used to play futures all the time back then. When were futures outlawed?
A: "Picking Ahead" (aka "Playing With A Future") has been against the official NMJL rules since 1956.
As far back as 1947, the yearly card said "No looking ahead." I assume that means that before 1956 players picked the tile before the previous player discarded, but were not supposed to look at it. And that from 1956 on, picking the tile before your turn has been, and still is, against the official rules. If you pick ahead in a tournament (if you pick from the wall during another player's turn -- before she has discarded), you'll be declared "dead."

Q: Two historical questions about jokers...

Q1: When were jokers introduced? Was it always eight jokers?
A1: Before 1961, there were no jokers. Flowers were wild, and the number of flowers fluctuated between 8 and 24. Joker tiles were introduced into the American game in 1961. The number of flowers and jokers fluctuated for several years, finally stabilizing at 8F/8J ten years later, in the 1971-72 card. See answer AI below, and column 509 for more on this.

Q2: I played long ago, and we could use jokers for anything. When exactly were jokers outlawed in pairs?
A2: As far as I can tell by checking the old NMJL cards in my collection, the rule that jokers could not be used for singles or pairs may have been introduced in 1984. But if you want to know for sure when that rule was introduced, you could ask the League.

Q: Why are so many players of American mah-jongg Jewish?
A: I don't have any hard facts on this, but I can make some educated guesses. From what I've been able to learn, some (but not all) of the founders of the NMJL were Jewish. Many of the women who joined the League and stayed with it and supported it were mainly Jewish women (or perhaps the Jewish acceptance of the game grew) throughout World War II. The League contributes a portion of its earnings to numerous charities (including Jewish charities).

As far as I know, the Jewish-mahjongg connection (the prevalence of Jewish players) is primarily an American phenomenon. Sure, there are Jewish mah-jongg players outside the U.S., but in my opinion the sizeable Jewish demographic among mah-jongg players is something one sees only in the U.S., where American-style mah-jongg seems to be the dominant variant. In other countries, where other forms of mah-jongg are played, the demographics are a bit more diverse.

In the 1920s the game became a fad in general. Eddie Cantor sang a hit song about mah-jongg ("Since Ma Is Playing Mah Jong") at that time. He was Jewish, if I recall correctly. So perhaps the Jewish connection to mah-jongg began as early as the 1920s.
It might have happened in China, when Jews left Russia during the 1917 revolution and migrated in large numbers to Shanghai and Hong Kong, or during the holocaust and diaspora of the 1930s and 1940s, when more Jews found refuge in China.
And, perhaps, as Bill H. suggested on Feb. 1, 2011, it began on Manhattan's Lower East Side, where many Jewish folk lived near New York's Chinatown in the early 20th century. Right across the East River is Brooklyn. Even today, and even here in Los Angeles where I live, it's not unusual to hear Brooklyn accents among mah-jongg players. And, as Supreme Court Judge Elena Kagan famously noted, Jewish folk frequent Chinese restaurants, paralleling the Jewish/mah-jongg connection. Perhaps both predilections (Chinese food and mah-jongg) took hold in the Jewish community around the same time.
The modern American style of mah-jongg (regulated by a central organization who issues a yearly card) did not yet exist in the 1920s. It seems likely that the Jewish connection really took hold with the popularity of the NMJL in the late 1930s and into WWII.

Q: Why are so many players of American mah-jongg female?
A: The majority of American players are female because the American game was designed by women, to be enjoyed by women. American mah-jongg is completely different from all other forms of mah-jongg because of changes that female players made in the game during the 1930s (and made official when the National Mah Jongg League was formed in 1937). The female players threw out "chows," restricted the hands to groups of similar tiles as listed on a card, changed the use of the flowers, and the NMJL issued a new card every year.

Q: Why are so few players under 30?
A: It used to be that daughters picked up the game from their mothers, but there was a gap during the 1960s. Daughters decided then that they'd rather burn their bras than play a game their mothers and grandmothers played. After those daughters grew up, had kids, and their kids left the "nest," then they needed something to do. So we're seeing a resurgence of the game among baby boomers. The majority of players of the American game do seem to be over 40, but a lot of thirtysomethings are picking up the game too. I guess the twentysomethings have lots of other things to do with their spare time, and don't see a good reason to socialize with the older generations.

Q: 1. How does payment work? 2. What is "pie"? 3. How do we use these plastic "coin" things? 4. How does "betting" work?
A1: Most American players play for actual money, in the form of coins exchanged immediately upon a win. The hand values given on the NMJL card range from 25 to 50. That equates to 25¢ and 50¢. The score is double for the discarder (non-discarders pay single value). The score is doubled again if the hand has no jokers (not including the hands in the singles and pairs section of the card) at the time mah-jongg is declared. Complete scoring information is on the back of the card.

For the novices, here is an example: Alice discards red. Betty says "maj." Betty shows her tiles, and it's a hand comprised of pungs, kongs, and/or quints, with or without pairs (it is not a hand from the singles and pairs section of the card), and it doesn't have any jokers. Betty announces her score. "It's a 25-point hand, and it's jokerless. So it's 50 cents, but Alice owes me a dollar since she threw it." Charlene and Delores both pay 50¢, and Alice pays $1.00. If Esther bet on Betty, everybody (except Betty, of course) also pays Esther (exactly the same amount they each paid Betty) - for more on betting, see #4 below.

A lot of people ask if it's really true that 25 cents, doubled twice, really equals a whole dollar. At first blush it would seem that these people can't do math. But I do not believe that that many people truly are that math-challenged. So there must be some other reason for the frequency of this question. I think it's connected to the same reason why many stores show their prices as being a penny under a dollar, so they don't have to cross a "dollar boundary." American mah-jongg players don't mind playing for cents, but as soon as we start talking about dollars, then we enter a whole different dimension. The upshot?... Yes, of course a quarter doubled twice is a whole dollar. It's not difficult math. You didn't think mah-jongg was a gambling game? Well, guess what: it is! Get used to it. Be grateful you don't live in Asia, where they gamble for much higher stakes... okay?

A2. A "pie" is a table rule that limits the amount that a player can lose during an evening's play. Players here in Los Angeles mostly play with a $5 pie - which means that each player brings a coin purse with exactly $5 in coins. When the player's coins are all gone, she continues to play - at no additional risk. When she wins, people pay her, then when she loses again, she pays again. But when playing with a pie, nobody ever loses more money than she brought in her coin purse. Several people have asked me if some penalties should be paid with money from the pocket or purse (rather than from the pie purse). The answer is no -- that would defeat the whole purpose for having a pie in the first place.
If you play in a pie game, just don't bring any other money to the game except your pie money. That's all the money you can lose in the game, period.

The pie amount is whatever the group agrees to. I've heard of people playing with a $3 pie, I've heard that rich east coast ladies play with a $10 pie, some people refuse to play for any money at all, and some players play without a pie (sky's the limit).

As for the etymology of the term, have you ever seen a pie chart? That's a circular representation of something that can be broken down into percentages. So in American mah-jongg, the term means "I have this much pie to go aROUND, and when it's gone, nobody eats any more pie."

A3. The colorful plastic chips (like antique Chinese coins with a square hole) that come with many mah-jongg sets are chips - exactly as is done with casino chips or poker chips, they are used in lieu of money for scorekeeping. If you are playing somewhere where it wouldn't be kosher to let people see you paying each other with money after each hand (gambling is frowned upon in many places, you know), you can use the plastic chips instead. Then if you want to play for real money, settle up at the end of the entire play session. For details about how to use chips, see FAQ 7d.

A4. Betting is an optional way to enjoy a five-player game in which one player rotates out each hand. The fifth player looks at each player's hand after the Charleston is complete and makes a note of the name of the player whom she thinks will win the hand (or if she thinks it will be a wall game). If she bet correctly, the losing players all have to pay not only the winner but also the bettor. If she bet wrongly, she pays exactly what the "bet-on" player pays to any or all other players. If it's a wall game and the bettor correctly bet on a wall game, the players all pay her 25¢.
If she bet on the wall and a player wins by self-pick, she pays double amount (same as any other non-winner). If she bet on the wall and a player wins by discard, she pays single amount (same as any other non-discarder).

The bettor is not allowed to say anything until after all players have made payment. If after payment is made, the bettor announces that the win was in error, it's too late to undo the payment. Nobody gives any money back. FOUR people erred (not one). When people err, they sometimes have to pay a penalty. Read FAQ 9 for more about how to handle errors.

Q: I hear Chinese mah-jongg is harder!
A: When you say "Chinese mah-jongg," I assume you mean "any kind of mah-jongg other than American." Because there are, in fact, around forty known mah-jongg variants - and more than a dozen Chinese variants! See FAQ 2B. Oh, and no. Those other variants are not harder to learn than American mah-jongg. American is the hardest to learn of them all. I should know - I've learned several variants.

American mah-jongg is hard because you can only play the hands listed on the card. It's quite a challenge to find possibilities for hands from among a random 13 or 14 tiles. ONLY American mah-jongg uses a card! All the other forms of mah-jongg are free-form (very much akin to Rummy).

American mah-jongg is the oddball variant of the mah-jongg world. Once you learn any... um... "un-American" (^_^) variant, it's easy to learn any other variant (including American), but there's something about the American variant that "spoils" you, apparently making it a huge mental leap to learn about stuff like chows and the use of flowers (not to mention the scoring). Or so it seems, anyway (I've often found it a challenge to teach non-American forms to players of the American game). Read FAQ 10 and FAQ 20 if you care to learn the basics of, uh, "un-American" (^_^) kinds of mah-jongg.

Q: Is there a special prohibition against, or penalty for, throwing the winning tile when the wall is short and/or the winner had exposures showing?
A: No. There is no "hot wall" or "cold wall" or "pay for the party" rule in the official NMJL rules. The official rules do not penalize throwing into exposures. Under the official rules, the discarder of the winning tile always pays twice what the other two non-winners pay the winner (this is clearly stated on the back of the yearly card -- first rule, stated at the upper left corner).

Many groups adopt a "table rule" to stipulate a penalty for discarding the winning tile during the final stage of a hand. Invariably, these table rules are called "cold wall" or "hot wall" or "paying for the party." Many tournaments penalize throwing the winning tile into two or three exposures; but these penalties are not part of the official rules.
Other than the discarder double payment, the official NMJL rules do not stipulate any prohibition against, nor penalty for, throwing the winning tile, under any circumstances, no matter the number of exposures or the length of the remaining wall.

Q: What is a "cold wall"? And what is a "hot wall"? What's "paying for the party?"
A: "Cold wall" is a table rule that prohibits either discarding or calling a "hot tile." "Hot wall" is a table rule that penalizes discarding a "hot tile." The definition of "hot tile" and "safe tile" vary, depending on the table rule. Usually "hot tiles" are defined as those that come from the last short wall remaining in front of the dealer, but there are various table rules (all unofficial).
"Paying for the party" means that the non-winners who didn't discard the winning tile don't have to pay anything (the discarder takes on that debt, and pays on their behalf). These are all table rules. That means these rules are NOT part of the official rules as governed by the NMJL. Read FAQ 14 to learn more about table rules. And read FAQ 21 to learn about how some tournament organizers set their rules (which necessarily differ somewhat from the official NMJL rules, since playing for points in a competitive tournament setting is different from paying for coins between a foursome playing for fun).

Q: Must exposures be in card order?
A: Experienced players don't need to see exposures to be shown in card order. It's standard practice to put exposures in order made (first one at player's left, next one to the right of that one, and so on), with spaces between each exposed grouping.
In fact, there is a good defensive reason for not putting exposures in card order - while a newbie might wish to have the visual hint, the player who's exposed part of her hand wishes her opponents won't figure out exactly what hand she is making. Sometimes two exposures can be ambiguous, and that is an important part of the game. So newbie players just have to "put up" with the fact that exposures are displayed in chronological order rather than card order.
Upon completion of the hand (having won), however, it is standard practice to organize the groupings in card order to aid the others in reading your winning hand.

Q: Can a player call another player dead?
A: In American mah-jongg, there is a rather harsh rule that permits any player to call any other player's hand "dead" (paragraph 2 of the middle pane of the back of the NMJL card) at any time (a player does not have to wait for her turn to call someone dead). A player may make such a "death challenge" for a number of reasons:

No Such Hand - Player's exposures do not match any hand on the current card.

Unwinnable - Player's exposures indicate that player needs to make a pair, and three or more of the needed tiles are dead on the table (visible to all, either among the discards or as part of an exposure).

Too Many/Few Tiles - Player is holding 12 or fewer tiles (13 or fewer after picking) - or player is holding 15 or more tiles (14 or more between turns).

Invalid Exposure - Player made a 1B kong but one of the tiles is a flower, for instance, or player illegally exposed a NEWS or a 201x (with or without a joker) - and then discarded. Prior to the player discarding, she should be permitted to retract the illegal move (if it's a friendly home game, not a tournament). After she's discarded, though, her hand is dead.

Rule Violation - For example, picking ahead, playing out of turn, or peeking at the blind pass. In tournaments, rule violations are immediately punishable. In home games, beginner players might sometimes be let off with friendly warnings one or two times, after which repeat violators are subject to summary punishment like everyone else. (^_^)

When a player is called dead due to an erroneous exposure, the tiles in the erring exposure should be returned to the rack. This removes any jokers from "temptation." The taken discard (if one was used to make the erroneous exposure) also goes to the sloping front of the rack, unless another player wants it for mah-jongg and this mahj claim is being spoken before another turn occurs after the erroneous exposure was made.

When someone issues a death challenge, whether it's phrased as a statement, a guess, or a question*, the player who is on the receiving end of the death challenge must either acknowledge that she is indeed dead, or she may deny it (without explaining what hand she is making). Then the game continues, either with or without that player, depending on her reply to the challenge.

* A lot of players try to weasel their way out of actually making a challenge outright, out of fear of being wrong and being penalized. So they phrase it as a question rather than a death challenge. It still counts. Even just mentioning in the vaguest way that a player might be dead is still tantamount to issuing the challenge, because the mention does call everyone's attention to the challengee's hand. Therefore, if somebody asks you if you're dead (or asks anybody else at the table or in the room if you're dead), that is a death challenge - and you can reply accordingly. "Yes, you got me, I'm dead," or "No, I deny that I'm dead - according to the rules, you'll owe me a quarter when you see that I'm right." (See AB, below.)

Q: Someone called me dead (pursuant to AA above) but I'm not dead. What now?
A: If a player has erroneously issued a death challenge, or if a player has erroneously denied a death challenge (which can be determined at the end of the hand), the erring player must pay value of the cheapest hand on the card (25) to the other player.

After denying the death challenge, the game continues with both the challenger and the challenged continuing to play. Then at the end the challenged player's tiles are examined to determine who pays whom.

So. If you call me dead and I deny it, and at the end of the hand we see that you were wrong, you owe me 25. Conversely, if you call me dead and I deny it, and at the end of the hand we see that I was wrong, I owe you 25.

Q: Can I call myself dead?
A: As I interpret the NMJL stand on this, you are not supposed to call yourself dead. You are supposed to play defensively until someone else calls you dead (and this is the wisest course, strategically speaking). However, I sometimes wish someone would hurry up and call me dead so I could do something less frustrating, like go get something to nibble on for a minute. (So I sympathize with those who would want to call themselves dead.) When I feel that way, I think about making a really obviously wrong exposure to force someone to call me dead so I can take a break and cool off. But I haven't actually done that.
If you happen to blurt out that you are dead, you aren't officially dead yet (you haven't been called dead, so you cannot stop playing) - you must continue playing until somebody obligingly calls you dead. Then you can take a break.

Q: Two questions about picking and racking very quickly.
1. I was taught to pick and rack very quickly, but my friends complain that I don't give them enough time to claim a discard. Do I have to change what I do?
2. Tapping the tile on the top of the rack counts as racking, doesn't it?

A: Some fast players immediately rack a tile after picking it (I call this practice "pickandrack"). I have two theories about why people do this:

Because the player wants the game to move quickly, as a way of making herself a competitive player;

Because the player is being defensive, hoping that the taken tile is a joker. If you've ever picked a tile, seen that it was a joker, but had to put it back because somebody else called the most recent discard, you know what I'm talking about.

Whatever the reason for engaging in pickandrack, if it's done very quickly after the previous player's discard, it's aggressive and unkind. Most regular-speed and slower players find the practice difficult to deal with. I recommend that players pause a beat before picking, in order to give others a chance to call for the current discard. Then you can pickandrack if you wish.

A: Does "racking" mean "bringing the tile behind the rack" or "tapping the tile on the rack"? No. "Racking" a tile means placing it on the sloping front of the rack. Period. This tapping idea probably resulted from a desire to make the game move quickly. Maybe someone who picked a tile, saw it was a joker, but had to put it back because somebody else called the most recent discard, wanted a faster way to "rack" the tile. Racking a tile closes the window of opportunity for another player to claim the current discard - tapping the tile on the rack is not racking it. Standing the tile on one's card is not racking it. But read FAQ 14...

For much more on pickandrack and the window of opportunity, click here or scroll down.

Q: Can I add to an exposure later?A: Not after initially exposing and discarding, no. The time to add to (or subtract from) an exposure is before you discard. Don't stop reading yet.

Q: So you're saying I can make changes to my exposure if I haven't discarded yet?
A: Yes. As I just said, the time to add to (or subtract from) an exposure is before you discard. For instance, if you claim a flower to make a kong, and you accidentally add a joker to it (making it a quint) and your targeted hand requires a kong, you can take the joker back if you do it before discarding. Once you make an exposure and discard, the exposure will remain, as is, for the duration of the hand. You cannot later (after discarding) change a pung to a kong, quint, or sextet. You cannot change a quint to a sextet, kong, or pung. And so on.

Q: Then can I change my mind about making an exposure at all, if I haven't discarded yet?
A: Now you've asked Frequently Asked Question 19AM. Click here.

Q: How does the Charleston work? When can I stop the Charleston? When can I blind pass?A: The Charleston was a dance popular during the Roaring Twenties (when mah-jongg first became a craze). Imagine that you have a dance card with two names on it, and you're going to dance twice: first Charleston with RALph (Right-Across-Left), and the second Charleston with LARry (Left-Across-Right). The first dance is compulsory and the second dance is optional. If after you dance with RALph you decide that you've met "Mister Right," you don't have to dance with no stinking LARry! But if you start to dance with LARry, you have to do the whole dance. So there's just one brief moment during which you can stop the passing: after completing the first dance, and before beginning the second dance. The Charleston is a group dance (four people all participate). Anybody can choose to stop the dance, but only during that very brief interval between the first left and the second left.

First right - you must pass 3 tiles right.

First across - you must pass 3 tiles.

First left - you may blind pass up to 3 tiles, and now you have danced with RALph.

Do you want to stop the Charleston now? You or anybody else may stop the Charleston, for any reason whatsoever (and does not have to state a reason), before anybody picks up and racks her second left. If nobody stops the dance after the first Charleston, you are going to dance with LARry.
Once somebody has picked up and looked at her second left pass, it's too late to stop the Charleston.*

Second left - If nobody stopped the Charleston after the first left, everybody must pass 3 tiles left (this means you, too).

Second across - you must pass 3 tiles across. This is often the sticky pass!

Last right - you may blind pass up to 3 tiles. Now the dance with LARry has ended.

Courtesy - In the courtesy, opposite players may exchange up to 3 tiles. For full details on the courtesy pass, see FAQ 19AH below).

*Note: If you stop the Charleston after the first dance, other players will probably get mad; it's a fact of life. But you don't owe them an explanation, even if they do get angry. The rules say you can stop the Charleston after the first dance, for any reason at all, or for no reason at all, and you do not have to say why. But I recommend that you do not stop the Charleston too often - if you make a habit of constantly stopping the Charleston nearly every hand, the other players are likely to ban you from their otherwise pleasant game. (It's up to you to draw a fine line between adhering to the rules and being reasonable and a fun playing companion.)

A.1.: The Charleston consists of three dances.
- The first dance (R,A,L) is compulsory.
- The second dance (L,A,R) is optional; it can be stopped by any player; if it's stopped, all players must stop.
- The third dance (the courtesy) is optional on an individual basis; no player is required to exchange any tiles if she doesn't want to, but if two opposite players want to exchange they may do so, regardless of whether the other two are exchanging or not.

A.2.: Cancelling the second dance has no effect whatsoever on the courtesy. It's not unusual to call off the second dance yet still have one or two tiles to trade in the Courtesy. Even if the person who stopped the Charleston has no tiles to pass (in which case she and her opposite don't exchange), that still does not prevent the other two players from exchanging if they so desire.

A.3.: No player is required to pass more than she wants to in the courtesy pass. If she only wants to pass two, you may not force her to give you three. Besides, you don't really expect anything new to get passed at this point, do you? Get real!

Q: I have an old set that has 22 flowers. They don't even match. Why did somebody do that?A: As you can read in the timeline in FAQ 11, the NMJL varied the number of flowers and jokers for several decades early in the league's history. People had to cobble together sets to make the number of flowers required. They'd even take whole sets, paste flower decals on all of them, and pass them around to their friends. Flower tiles often didn't match the rest of the set, so a whole schtick evolved called "planting flowers." There wasn't any mystery about which tiles in the wall were flowers, but they would place flowers at pre-arranged spots in the wall - and probably apportion a certain number of them to each player as part of the deal. See answer S above, and column 509, for more on this.

When a card shows you some color-coded symbols like 11 2223333444 55, then the card means exactly what it says. Pair ones and pung twos in one suit, kong threes in second suit, and pung fours pair fives in third suit.

When the card has a parenthetical, the parenthetical might be clarifying the color-coding, or might be describing trumping exceptions or modifications to what the color-coding said. It might say "any 3 suits" (which would only clarify that the kong doesn't have to be the suit of craks but could be any suit as long as it's a different suit from the other sets -- not that any such clarification should be necessary), or it might say "any 5 consecutive nos." (which would mean that the first pair doesn't have to be ones). Principle 2 is that principle 1 can be trumped by a parenthetical.

When there is no trumping parenthetical, then principle 1 hasn't been trumped - so principle 1 holds true; you have to make the hand indicated by the numbers, letters, and colors shown on the card. This ought to go without saying (there shouldn't have to be a principle 3).

Q1: I read in 19J what "any" means in the parenthetical. But what if the word "any" is not used? For instance, a 13579 hand is shown as 11 3335555777 99, and it doesn't say "any 3 suits" in parentheses. Then don't the ones and threes have to be in bams, the fives have to be in craks, and the sevens and nines have to be in dots?
A: No. Never. It means "pair ones and pung threes in one suit, kong fives in second suit, and pung sevens, pair nines in third suit." Always. The clarifying phrase "any 3 suits" is always unnecessary, in my opinion - precisely because the color-coding indicates the number of suits required, without being specific as to how the suits should be assigned. A three-color hand is always three suits, and the card never requires a specific suit be associated with a specific color. The absence of an unnecessary word or phrase does not have any significance whatsoever.
Q2: Can I make that hand with just any old number of suits?
A: No. Read the back of the card. 1 color means 1 suit. 2 colors means 2 suits. 3 colors means 3 suits.
Q3: Same question, as regarding consecutive numbers. There's no parenthetical saying "any nos." but can I use any numbers?
A: No. Read 19AJ (above) carefully. When there is no parenthetical saying "any nos." then the indicated numbers must be used.

A: 2. Calling a discard, either for an exposure or for mah-jongg. Once you have either placed the taken discard atop the rack or exposed tiles from your hand, you have committed to making the play (you may not backtrack - it's too late).

A: 3. Discarding a tile. Once the tile has touched the table or you have said its name completely (whichever happens first), it's "down" -- and "down is dead." You can't take it back. As I wrote in FAQ 19B, above.

A: 4. Redeeming a joker. Once you have either placed your natural atop the other player's rack or lifted the other player's joker, you have committed to completing the exchange. You may not un-place your tile or replace the joker. The 2014 bulletin from the League says that you have committed once you have "made the exchange," even if you have not yet placed the redeemed joker into your own hand. The point is, don't penalize everyone else for your own indecisiveness. If you start to take an action, suck it up and see it through. Decide first, before putting hand on tile.

Q: My group doesn't roll dice and break the wall. Our way is better. For one thing, when you play with a hot wall, rolling dice randomizes the length of the hot wall (not that I know why that's a bad thing, since we don't use a hot wall in my group). Besides, it's easier and faster to just start dealing from the right end of the dealer's wall. Why do other people think it's necessary to roll dice to break the wall?
A: Because it's very easy to cheat using your method.
The Chinese created mah-jongg as primarily a gambling game, so cheating prevention measures are necessary. When you know you're going to be dealing, all you have to do is put desirable tiles at the right end of the wall. In the modern American game, the most desirable tiles are jokers. Analogous to having a non-dealer cut the deck of playing cards, the use of dice to determine where the wall will be broken prevents one form of cheating.
The practice of rolling dice was not created so there could be "hot walls" or "lukewarm walls" or "superfrigid walls" or anything of the sort (wall "temperature" is not recognized by the official rules - see FAQ 19Y, above). Rolling dice exists solely as a cheating prevention measure.

Q: The Window Of Opportunity for another player to claim the previous discard wasn't closed yet. Does that mean I have to put my picked tile back on the end of the wall where I got it from, when someone calls the discard?
A: Yes. Read FAQ 19C (above) and More about the Window Of Opportunity (below) and Column #458. You have to put it back on the wall, if you have not yet racked the tile, or if you have not yet discarded it (you have not yet touched it to the discard floor, you have not yet said its name in full), or if you have not exchanged it for a joker, or if you have not yet declared mah-jongg. You put it right back where you got it, on the end of the wall, for the next player to take.
Q: Even if I saw the tile?
A: Even if it's Sunday, even if the moon is full, even if you're playing by candlelight. You may have seen the tile, yes - but you have not yet racked, discarded, or exchanged it, so it goes back for the next player to take. The rule has been stated, without qualifying exceptions. It shouldn't be necessary for the rulebook to have to give 20 "even ifs."

Q2: What if the misnamed tile was wanted for exposure only (not for mah-jongg)?
A2: No penalty to the misnamer. Misnamer must speak the correct name of the discarded tile. Once the discard is correctly named, play continues normally - the correctly named discard may be claimed for exposure or for mah-jongg.

Q3: What if the misnamed tile was wanted for exposure only (not for mah-jongg), but the error was not noticed until after the next player in turn had already picked and racked, closing the window of opportunity on the misnamed discard?
A3: Too bad for the player who wanted the tile for exposure. It was not only the misnamer who erred; every player who never bothered to look at the discard also erred, including the player who wanted the actual tile for exposure. It is every player's responsibility to keep her eyes open, not only her ears. No penalty to the misnamer; game continues. This rule is not stated in the official rulebook, but may have been stated in a yearly bulletin from the League. See also FAQ 9 for some general principles about how to handle errors.

Q4: What if the misnamed tile was wanted for mah-jongg, but the error was not noticed until after the next player in turn had already picked and racked, closing the window of opportunity on the misnamed discard?
A4: The game cannot continue once a player has revealed what tile she needs for mah-jongg. She wins, but wow, the winner goofed really bad by not keeping her eyes open! It is every player's responsibility to keep her eyes open, not only her ears. Still, the misnamer goofed first, and must pay four times the value of the hand to the player who wanted the tile for mah-jongg. No other players need pay. Deal and play the next hand.

Q: How does "Atomic" (or "Nuclear") work?
A: You get to decide that for yourself. It's a table rule. Some players permit seven pairs of anything. Some players say the hand can only be made if the player never had a joker in the hand. Some players also say flowers invalidate the atomic hand. Some players say the player has to declare "atomic" (or an equivalent announcement) when going for the hand, and declare "nuclear-free zone" (or words to that effect) when the hand becomes void due to having picked a joker or flower. You and your group get to figure out those details and how much the hand is worth, if you and your group want to use the table rule at all. Read FAQ 14.

Q: What if I'm dealer and I have a complete hand before the Charleston?A: Ah, yes, "Heavenly Hand." If you're the dealer and you're dealt a complete hand, just declare mah-jongg (there will be no Charleston). Heavenly Hand is valued the same as a self-picked mah-jongg (everyone pays dealer double value of her hand).
Heavenly Hand is the sole exception to the standard Charleston rules; if your tiles almost give you mah-jongg, just remember this ain't horseshoes. "Almost" doesn't negate the Charleston. Mandatory (compulsory) passes are still mandatory; you can still blind pass when you're normally permitted to blind pass; you can still stop the Charleston after the first left. You can refuse to exchange tiles during the final Courtesy exchange as usual. But when you are required to pass three, you must pass three.

Q: Am I required to put a tile in my rack? Three variations on this question:
(1) We have a player who picks a tile, then discards a tile without ever putting the picked tile on her rack. Is she allowed to do that? Aren't we always required to rack the tile after picking it?
(2) We have a player who doesn't put the tile in the rack right after picking; she stands it on her card while she thinks about what to discard; is she allowed to do that?
(3) I like to stand some of my tiles on my card; another player complained; am I allowed to do that?

A.1. No. There is no rule that says a player must rack before discarding.
A.2. There's no rule that says she can't put her tile on her card. However, that's not the same thing as "racking". Putting the tile on the card does not close the window of opportunity.
A.3. There's no rule that says you can't put your concealed tiles on your card. But if another player finds that inconvenient because she wants to view your tile tops, well, then the practice makes for bad harmony. It isn't you who's generating the disharmony, though -- she probably gets her panties all in a bunch over lots of things. Still, though, in the interest of harmony, maybe it would be better if you just keep your tiles on your rack while playing with her.

Q: How should exposures be oriented atop the rack?A: There is no rule governing this. Some players orient an exposure so it looks readable from the player's own point of view -- some players orient an exposure so it looks readable from the opposite player's point of view. Whichever one you think best. Unless sight-impaired, players are expected to be able to read tiles atop another player's rack without needing any specific orientation. See also
FAQ 19Z: Must exposures be in card order?

Q: Should I telephone the NMJL with my rule question?A: No. I have frequently heard from confused players who say they got conflicting rulings when phoning the League. You should send your question in writing, in order to get the answer in writing.
There are six chances to get the information all screwed up, when you ask rule questions on the phone:

You might word the question imperfectly, causing the person on the other end of the phone to misunderstand what exactly you're asking.

The person on the other end of the phone might misunderstand the question (thinking you're asking something else), even if you don't misstate it. (The problem might be in her ears, not in your mouth.)

She might word the answer imperfectly.

You might misunderstand the answer, even if she doesn't misstate it.

When you report the answer back to your group, you might err in the wording of your report.

Even if you word the answer perfectly to your group, they still might misinterpret your words. And you can't prove that you really got that answer, if it's not in writing.

With all those chances for something to go wrong, something probably will go wrong! If you get the NMJL's answer in writing, though, then you stand the best chance of having the definitive answer. So snail-mail the question, with a self-addressed stamped envelope.

Q: Who plays next after erroneous mahj?A: The player who made the erroneous mahj call made a play. That means she took a turn. So, even though it was an abnormal play or turn, and all she accomplished was to kill herself, the play now devolves to the player seated to her right. Just like with a normal play or turn.

Q: We play with 14 tiles...A: That's a very confusing way of saying that you "pick ahead" or that you "play with a future tile." The way it's supposed to work (in the official rules) is that each player normally holds 13 tiles while the other players are playing, and she gets a 14th tile during her turn. If you're playing that you normally hold 14 tiles, but discard one during your turn, then you're picking ahead. Read FAQ 19R, and read the back of your NMJL card (see rule #1).

Q: How would this be ruled in a tournament?A: The National Mah Jongg League hasn't codified tournament rules, so tournament organizers set their own. Tournament rules can vary. So I may not be able to tell you how a particular situation would be ruled in a tournament. When you have a ruling question in a tournament, see the tournament rules, or ask the tournament judge for a ruling.

Q: What does it mean if we get a lot of wall games? Does it mean we're getting better at playing? Does it mean we're playing defensively?
A: I don't know what it "means." I can't know without seeing your group play. The fact that you're asking this may be an indication that your group recently learned the game. (Experienced players usually take wall games in stride.) The vagaries of chance can sometimes result in a larger than usual number of wall games for a time. It may be that new groups get into a wall game phase as part of the growth process; just play on, and let the game settle into its natural rhythms. Experienced players also get wall games - if a lot of wall games, it may just mean that the players are equally skilled and yes, are playing defensively.

Q: What if three players go dead? Who pays the survivor?
A: It depends on how the players went dead. If one player erroneously declared mah-jongg, which caused a cascading lemminglike leap to death (in which two other players throw their hands in before it's realized that the mah-jongg was improper), then the erring declarer (who initiated the cascade) pays the surviving player twice the value of the declarer's hand (the hand she thought she was making).
If the three players went dead by any other means, then the survivor throws in her hand (nobody gets paid). Shuffle, deal (next dealer takes over), and play another hand.

And for further reading:RDWW - p. 60, p. 62
NMJL - p. 16, p. 18, and back of the card.

Q:
How does the color-coding work on the card?
A:
Read the back of the card. Left pane, just beneath where it says "STANDARD BASED ON EIGHT FLOWERS AND EIGHT JOKERS" (1st and 2nd lines). It says, "1 color—any 1 suit; 2 colors—any 2 suits; 3 colors—3 suits." "Any" means "any."
Red does not necessarily mean craks must be used; green does not necessarily mean bams. The color-coding allows great flexibility.

Q:
What does it mean when a zero is green or red?
A: The color is meaningless. It's a zero. Zeroes are explained on the front of the card, right up there at the top (use white dragon, also called "soap"). I suppose the thinking is that since zeroes are suitless, they "go with" any suit, so zeroes can be printed in any color.

Q:
What is the purpose of the numbers on the flower tiles?
A: In Chinese mah-jongg, the numbers correspond to the seat positions of the players seated around the table. At the end of a hand, flowers add to the score depending on whether the number on the flower corresponds to your seat position. If East has flower #1, he gets extra score. If South has flower #2, he gets extra score, and so on. If you're reading this, you play American mah-jongg (not Chinese), so you don't need to know this!

What is the rule when somebody wants to claim a discarded tile for exposure after the next person has already picked a tile from the wall?

This question is about what I call the "window of opportunity" rule. The "window of opportunity" is that brief moment in time during which a player may claim a discard. When does the window of opportunity open, and when does it close?

Opening the Window of OpportunityThe tile is "down" the instant a discarded tile is either named... or it touches the table top, whichever happens first.
When the tile has been named and placed on the table top and the player has withdrawn her hand, the "window" opens. The discarded tile is available for claiming by another player. (And the discarder can no longer change her mind and take it back.)

Next Player Picks From the WallThe next player (the player to the right of the discarder) now reaches (ideally allowing other players a reasonable moment in which to claim the live discard), takes the next tile from the end of the wall, and looks at it. She cannot change her mind and put the tile back, but the window of opportunity is still open on the most recent discard. Her taking and looking at the picked tile did NOT close the window of opportunity on the live discard - anybody can still call it!

If another player claims the live discard before the window of opportunity is closed, the picker must put the picked wall tile back on the end of the wall (the same place where she got it), so the next player can take it, whether or not it has been seen.

Closing the Window of OpportunityAny other player can claim the current discard right up until one of the following events occurs: The next player racks her picked tile (putting it among the other tiles in her hand);
The next player, having picked from the wall, exchanges a tile for a joker atop someone's rack;
The next player discards her picked tile;
The next player declares mah-jongg with her newly picked tile.
Once any of the above has occurred, the window of opportunity CLOSES on the discarded tile we've been discussing. It's now too late for another player to claim that tile for exposure or for mah-jongg.

One Window Closes, Another Window OpensWhen a player picks and discards without racking (#2 above), the window of opportunity shuts resoundingly on one tile, and opens instantly on another, when she either fully names the newly discarded tile or it touches the table top, whichever happens first. Only the current discard is available for play. That old discarded tile is now "dead," and is considered "covered" by the new discarded tile.

>Name = Minette
>Email = brogal
>Comments = Continuing discussion about the "window of opportunity" re: discards
>It seems that it would be smart for a player picking from the wall to immediately rack the tile (in her hand)- & "close the window of opportunity" on the previously discarded tile, - & then discard that picked tile or another. True?

Minette, I understand that it does seem that that would be smart. However... would it be nice?

If you are playing against a bunch who is much faster and sharper than you (you are totally outgunned by a bunch of mah-jongg "sharks"), then by all means "pickandrack" is a reasonable defensive strategy. HOWEVER... if any of your opponents are slow thinkers, or new players still struggling with the concept of the game, then "pickandrack" would be a highly aggressive way to act. Who's the mah-jongg shark now? (^_^)

Some authors who write about the Chinese Classical game actually go one step further and set a rule that the player to the right of the latest discarder should pause for a beat before reaching to take the next tile from the wall. And I even heard some mention of this idea (that players should pause for a beat before picking) at a recent American tournament here in Los Angeles. It's a kinder and gentler way to play!

I understand that it's distressing to pick a tile, observe that it's a joker (or another tile that can help your hand), and then to have to put it back when somebody calls the latest discard. But how often does that happen? It has happened to me a few times - but most of the time, the tile you pick isn't a tile you need.
May the tiles be with you! - Tom
Tom Sloper
Los Angeles, CA
Date = March 13, 2004

More About Pickandrack

>Name = Michelle
>Email = msharpfl
>Date = January 11, 2005
>Comments = My question is really one of etiquette rather than rule, but I would like your suggestions on how to handle the situation and also if you think I have a legitimate point or if I'm wrong. I just started playing with two new players and one of them picks up a tile and puts it in her rack so fast after someone discards a tile that no one has time to call the discard. I decided that I would go about my complaint by discussing what I had learned from my instuctor rather than single her out. I told everyone that when I first started I thought it was smart to pick and rack a tile as quickly as I could so no one could call it, but my instructor said if you do that no one will want to play with you. She said it is correct Mah Jongg etiquette to allow a few seconds after the discard. Right after I said this the woman in question said "Oh No No No I pick up the tile and rack it just as quick as I can after the discard. I think she thinks this is playing defensively and to me!
> its not using your skill to Mah Jongg. We can't vote her out as we all belong to the country club were we play and she's determined to continue this part of play. I am considered to be a very good and quick player, but I can't keep up and other players that are a little slower are lost. I know we are supposed to avoid conflict, but I think this is really wrong, disruptive and takes the fun out of the game. If you agree maybe you could email me and I could talk to her again with some concrete opinions. Thank you, Michelle Sharp

Hi Michelle,
I call this practice "pickandrack," and I wrote about it in FAQ 19 (above left).

As a mah-jongg teacher, I often have students who have learned from others, whose ideas differ from mine. Pickandrack is one practice for which my thinking often differs from students' previous learnings.

Faster experienced players often want the game to move really quickly. In such a circle, pickandrack would be good etiquette (and good strategy) for a slower newer player.

When one fast player joins a slow table, she will often be impatient with everyone and will try to enforce a faster speed on the group. But for the fast player to use pickandrack in such a setting would be highly aggressive and can result in disharmonious play.

Slower newer players who have experienced the frustration of having to put back a seen joker due to another's calling for a tile eventually get the brilliant idea that by using pickandrack, they will not have to put jokers back any more.

Some tournament judges require players to pause a beat before picking. A player who pauses a beat, THEN uses pickandrack, not only reduces her chances of having to put back a seen tile but also gives the other players time to call a discard. It's considerate and does not significantly slow the game down. As for me, I can usually tell if my picked tile is a joker or not the instant I pick it from the rack - most players' sets have stickered jokers, or the joker design varies significantly from the other tile designs, and my thumb (on the face of the picked tile) can often feel this difference. I usually wait a beat before picking, and if my thumb tells me I've got a joker, I rack it rapidly (unless it's near the end and I'm dogging anyway).

As I wrote in FAQ 9, trying to convince others to adhere to harmonious practices can (paradoxically) result in disharmony. One has to be very diplomatic in how one engages in such discussions. And it might be a good idea to poll the other players privately (away from the table) prior to initiating such discussions, to see whether there will be support or not. I used to play with one of those impatient fast players (a fellow mah-jongg teacher). She didn't pickandrack unless it was a tile she wanted. Her hand would be out in the middle of the table while the previous player was preparing to discard, and the instant the previous player said the tile's name, the fast player would pickandlook. Then she'd either rack or discard really quickly. I learned to simply deal with the fact that I would have to be really quick to call a tile discarded just before her turn. And if she was sitting to my right, my hand would bump hers because we were both putting our hands into the table (me to discard, her to pick). Our games went at a normal pace for 3 players' turns, then her turn would comeandgorealfast, then there'd be normal speed for 3 players' turns, then she'd pickanddiscardrealfast... and so on. This was a little annoying, but to try to get her to change her ways would have accomplished nothing but an argument. So I stifled myself and dealt with it.

Tom Sloper
Los Angeles, CA (USA)
1/11, 2005

*NOTE: These FAQs are written to be "universal" principles - they are not written with one particular NMJL or AMJA card in mind, so that I don't have to rewrite the examples every year!

Here again is that key to the references after each answer above.

RDWW = my book, The Red Dragon & The West Wind. Click the link to learn more about the book.

NMJL = National Mah Jongg League. Where I refer to a page number, that's a page number in the official NMJL rulebook, Mah Jongg Made Easy. Where I refer to a year, that's a yearly bulletin. Each January, the NMJL sends a bulletin to the members whose addresses are on record with the League (which is why I always recommend you buy your card directly from the League). And some rules are stated on the "back of the card" - you do have the latest NMJL card, don't you? Click the NMJL link to buy the rulebook or the card directly from the League.

Want to compete internationally? Click here to get your own copy of the official rules used at the 2002 WCMJ!Note: the international rules are completely different from American rules. Are you woman (or man) enough?